| BROWNSBURG, Ind. (OCT. 15, 2025) – John Force Racing has signed multiple-time U.S. Nationals winner and two-time NHRA Top Fuel winner Josh Hart to a multi-year contract to drive for the 23-time world championship organization beginning with the 2026 NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., March 5-8, which kicks off the National Hot Rod Association’s 75th anniversary season. The Huntington, Ind., native will step into the cockpit vacated by two-time NHRA Top Fuel Champion Brittany Force who announced Sept. 12 she will be stepping away from competition at the conclusion of the season to focus on starting a family. The team will continue to be led by crew chiefs Dave Grubnic and John Collins with primary sponsorship coming from Hart’s Ocala, Florida-based Burnyzz Speed Shop. “I have always said ‘Anything’s Possible’ and this opportunity proves that statement. I want to thank John Force and the entire John Force Racing team for being open to this endeavor,” said Hart. “No one can replace Brittany Force and what she has done for the sport and this organization. I have been building my program on my own for five seasons and I learned a tremendous amount. I want to continue to learn from the best and John Force Racing is the best drag racing team in the history of the sport. My goal is to continue learning, winning races and Top Fuel championships as a driver and teammate.” Hart will become just the third driver to race in the highly competitive Top Fuel class under the John Force Racing banner. He will join Force and current John Force Racing Funny Car driver Austin Prock on a short list of Top Fuel competitors. He will carry on the tradition of excellent driving skills, family values and a sponsor-first mindset as he acclimates himself to the organization. “I have been talking to Josh for a while and every time we talked it just made sense for our team to add someone like him,” said John Force, CEO and 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion. “He is a family guy, and he is a businessman. John Force Racing is evolving, and we have to feed the monster. Josh runs a huge operation in Florida, and I was impressed when I saw it a few years ago. Our team is going to keep growing and winning championships with Austin and Jack and Josh. Our focus now is on winning this season’s Top Fuel and Funny Car championships and then we will start working on 2026.” Hart started his own race team for the 2021 season and earned the first of his two NHRA Top Fuel victories in his series debut at the Gatornationals. He won again later that year at the Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway near Charlotte, N.C., and won the 2023 NHRA Top All-Star Callout in Gainesville. Hart is currently 10th in the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Top Fuel point standings with two races remaining in the Countdown to the Championship. His NHRA career began in 2011, racing in multiple sportsman categories before earning his Top Alcohol Dragster license in 2015. Hart won three Top Alcohol Dragster NHRA national events, including consecutive U.S. Nationals titles (2018-19), and eight NHRA regional events from 2017-2019 before earning his Top Fuel license in 2020. A consistent Countdown qualifier who is on his way to another Top 10 finish this year, Hart is aiming to finish the current season on a high note. “There have been a lot of rumors about my future since my announcement to sell my racing operation, but I had a plan the whole time,” said Hart. “I hope making this announcement, the first of many, will answer some questions. I have been blown away by the support and interest in my driving future, and I hope this announcement answers a lot of questions. I want to stay focused on winning races for the rest of the season.” Further announcements about the program will be made at the conclusion of the season. Round 19 of 20 of the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is the Oct. 30 – Nov. 2 NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. |
